Page 197 - Religion Belief
Trudeau visits Akshardham temple, Sabarmati Ashram
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family today offered prayers at the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple here and visited the Sabarmati Ashram as part of their day-long visit to Gujarat. The family travelled straight to Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad after arriving here this morning. Trudeau, accompanied by his wife Sophie and their three children, visited Hriday Kunj, the place where Mahatma Gandhi lived and from where he ran the non-violence movement. Dressed in traditional Indian clothes, they also tried their hand at Mahatma Gandhi's spinning wheel. Canada's first family also spent nearly half an hour at the Akshardham temple here and offered flowers to the deity. "What an extraordinary place of peace. Thank you for sharing with me, with my family, with the world," Trudeau wrote in the visitors' book at the temple. "In oneness. Shanti," wrote his wife Sophie Trudeau. They then walked through the exhibition hall where the life and times of the head of the BAPS ...
'Visa denial to Baptist Convention chief may cost BJP in Meghalaya'
The reported denial of visa to the president of a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organisations who was to visit Meghalaya earlier this month, may cost the BJP and its ally NPP in the February 27 Assembly polls, state Congress working president Vincent H Pala has said. The BJP and the National People's Party (NPP) are seeking to unseat the ruling Congress in Meghalaya, where Christians constitute nearly 75 per cent of its three million population. The BJP, which had failed to open its account in the 2013 polls, has this time fielded 47 candidates and set an ambitious target to win 40 seats in the 60-member house in Meghalaya, which is under Congress rule for past 10 years. The Centre had last week reportedly denied visa to Baptist Convention president Rev Paul Msiza. He was set to visit remote Rajasimila village in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district to attend the 150th anniversary of the church there. Rev Msiza did not make it to the celebrations despite the last ...
'Fire not at Jokhang chapel that houses Buddha statue'
The fire was not at the Jokhang chapel that houses the highly revered Jowo-Buddha Shakyamui statue but it was at an adjacent building within the Jokhang temple premises in Lhasa, Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said.
Rs 1 cr heist at Shiva temple in Haryana
Thieves took away jewellery and valuables worth nearly Rs 1 crore from a historic Shiva Temple in Haryana's Panchkula district, police said on Monday.
Lhasa's Jokhang temple normalise after fire
Lhasa's Jokhang Temple, one of the most renowned and sacred temples in Tibetan Buddhism, has returned to its normal activities after a fire broke out at its premises over the weekend with no casualties, authorities said on Monday.
Pak Army, ISI killed Prof Arif: MQM Chief
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder and leader Altaf Hussain alleged that his party leader Professor Hassan Zafar Arif was "assassinated" while in custody of security forces of Pakistan.Addressing a condolence reverence held in memory of the 'slain' professor here, Hussain claimed that Pakistan's military forces, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and paramilitary rangers had "murdered him in custody."Paying his tributes to Professor Arif, Hussain said, "It was his ideology to consider the masses as slaves, and not as free people if they are forced to live as per the instructions of the state. He had dedicated his entire life for the noble cause of freeing the common man from the clutches of tyranny. Even though he was jailed frequently, he did not quit his mission. His blood would give rise to a revolution; it won't go in vain."Furthermore, Hussain shed light on the importance given by Professor Arif to advocating equality among the different classes of society while hailing ...
SGPC to accord welcome to Trudeau
SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal said today the religious body will accord a warm welcome to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He also demanded that there should be no imposition of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 'langar' served in Gurudwaras. Longowal who was here to attend the annual convocation of SGPC run Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College, said the SGPC had made elaborate arrangements for Trudeau's visit. The Punjab government is going to celebrate the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev but the government had not invited the SGPC so far to join the function, he said. Guru Nanak Dev is the Guru of humanity and if an invitation comes, the SGPC will definitely participate, he said. Asked about state Congress president Sunil Jakhar's statement about GST on 'langar', Longowal said SGPC members were going to meet the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Langars should be freed from GST, he said. He said SGPC .
Four killed in Dagestan shooting: Russian authorities
Four women were shot dead by an unknown assailant at an Orthodox church in the North Caucasus region of Dagestan, Russia's interior ministry and local media said today. According to local press reports the gunman fired at worshippers at an Orthodox church in the town of Kizlyar in the mainly Muslim region.
Rajnath Singh's Twitter handle gets 10 million followers
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has become one of the top five politicians in the country whose Twitter followers have crossed the 10-million mark. Singh's Twitter handle @rajnathsingh crossed the 10 million followers mark last night, a home ministry official said. The four other politicians in the country who have more than 10 million followers are, Prime Minister Narendra Modi (40.3 million followers), Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (13.3 million), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (11.8 million) and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (11.4 million). The home minister's official twitter handle @HMOIndia has 2.26 million followers. It provides regular updates on his statements, policy initiatives of his ministry, his various programmes , photos and information on dignitaries who call on him.
Every caste, race is equal: Baba Ramdev
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, along with Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of the Juna Akhara, Swami Avdheshanand Giri, on Saturday advocated the equality of all castes.Speaking at an event marking Shrigurukarshani Gopal's birth anniversary, they also said that everyone is human by birth and great with his/her karma."Every caste & race is equal, every caste & race is great..while announcing an important declaration today, President of Hindu Dharam Acharya Mahasabha HH @AvdheshanandG and @yogrishiramdev Ji further said that everyone is human by birth and great with his/her karma (deeds) @ANI," Patanjali spokesperson SK Tijarawala tweeted.Swami Avdheshanand Giri also took to Twitter, saying that our culture has been a promoter of all unity, equality, co-existence, and world brotherhood."Shrigurukarshani Gopal's birth anniversary is an event of nationalism, national prosperity, and the upliftment of the nation's consciousness. Castes are India's treasure, therefore, all castes are equal and ...
Raise awareness about Hinduism to prevent 'conversion': RSS chief to cadres
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today called on the organisation's volunteers to raise awareness about Hindu religion and culture in order to stop "groups and agencies" working for the "conversion of Hindus". The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief during his address at the Trade Facilitation Centre at Badlapur here, also asked them to strongly protest against the people involved in such "anti-national activities", according to an RSS functionary. Cautioning that there are various organisations and agencies that are involved in conversion of Hindus to other religions, the RSS chief asked volunteers to spread awareness about their own religion and culture and strongly protest those involved in such anti-national activities (of conversion of Hindus)," said RSS functionary Ambrish. Stressing on development of villages which are the base of the economy and culture, Bhagwat said that focus should be to develop villages across the country. He also emphasised on the importance of cows, calling for a ..
No religion preaches hatred: Naidu
Asserting that no religion preaches hatred, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today urged people not to fall prey to the use of religion by some to promote terror. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the 8th Theatre Olympics and releasing its logo titled Flag of Friendship at the Red Fort here, the vice president said art and creativity can play an important role in moulding the minds of the people. Every religion and philosophy teaches love, harmony, affection and service that should be reflected in art, drama, poetry, literature and music that should be our endeavour, he said. "No religion preaches hatred, but unfortunately some people are using religion to promote terror....we should not fall prey to this. We all should think that we are one. "We may have differences, we may have small, small identical issues, but at the end of the day, we all are human beings," he said. Naidu said that no one should denigrate the country, its culture and heritage. "If there are shortcomings ...
Tibet's most sacred Buddhist temple catches fire
A major fire broke out at Tibet's most sacred Buddhist temple Jokhang Monastery, which is included on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Jokhang temple in Lhasa, provincial capital of Tibet, caught fire this evening, but there were no reports of any casualties, state-run China Daily reported. Firefighters have doused the fire and the relics are intact, the brief report said without providing details. The Jokhang temple also known as the Qoikang Monastery is regarded by the Tibetans as the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. The temple's architectural style is a mixture of Indian vihara design, Tibetan and Nepalese design. The temple attracts hundreds of devotees from Tibet and other parts of China and the world.
TN Governoroffers worship at Amirthakadesawara Swamy temple
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit today offeredworshipat Lord Amirthakadesawara Swamy temple at Thirukkadaiyur in the ditrict. The Governor is on a two day visit to the district to conduct review meeting of various projects and participate in various programmes. The Governor was received with ceremonial temple honours by the Dharmapuram Adheenam Junior Pontiff Masillamani Desika Paramacharya Swamigal and temple priest Ganesa Gurukkal. Purohit is scheduled to visit the Shrine Basilica at Vailankanni, the Christian pilgrim centre tomorrow.
Hashimpura, Srebrenica and Rohingyas: Similar and so different (Comment: Special to IANS)
Incidents, similar in their chilling monstrosity, came to mind when I saw photographs of a row of Rohingya Muslim young men, on their knees, hands tied behind their back. Gun-wielding military police, lurking within the frame, eventually mowed them down.
'Journalism was like instant coffee, writing books is satisfying, self-discovery'
She worked as a journalist for Asian Age, Frontline and Tribune, but running behind bylines always seemed like "instant coffee" with no time to pause and appreciate the beauty of things around her. After she quit her full-time job and embarked on a journey of writing, life changed drastically for Charu Singh, whose second book was published in December.
Iran to simplify visa norms for India
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday underscored that his country will simplify visa norms for India and expressed hope that "India will reciprocate this gesture.""Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran will simplify visa norms for India so that people of India find it convenient to sustain and ameliorate their relationship with the people of Iran," said President Rouhani, while addressing a congregation of Muslims after performing Friday prayers at the historic Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad.Denouncing the visa restrictions imposed by certain countries, the President of Iran said, "Some countries do not want to issue visas to Muslims but Iran is ready to extend complete cooperation for issuing visas to people from all communities."The Iranian leader also stated, "Iran is a country which is rich in oil, gas, and energy. Iran is ready to share its share its oil, gas, and energy resources for the development and progress of India."The cooperation, according to the President, will .
Rouhani arrives in Delhi
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is on a three-day visit to India, arrived here on late Friday evening.President Rouhani will be accorded a ceremonial reception on Saturday.He will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind.Both Iranian and Indian sides would review the progress achieved in bilateral relations and also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.Earlier in the day, the Iranian president addressed a congregation of Muslims after performing Friday prayers at the historic Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad.He had stressed upon the cooperation between India and Iran in a bid to embolden the bilateral ties and also called for unity among Muslims across the world.Religious scholars from different schools of thoughts had participated in the session as well.In addition to this, Rouhani visited the tombs of Qutub Shahi rulers in the Golconda area in the city.This was the second time that President Rouhani was visiting Hyderabad, .
Those appropriating Vivekananda haven't read him: Tharoor
Taking a dig at the BJP and other rightwing political parties, acclaimed author and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday said that those trying to appropriate Swami Vivekananda have not actually read him and thus project the celebrated 19th century Hindu monk in a "blasphemous" way.
BJP's projection of Vivekananda as 'Hindutva icon' ill-founded: Tharoor
The BJP's projection of Swami Vivekananda as a "Hindutva icon" is "ill-founded", Congress leader Shashi Tharoor today said. Vivekananda's view of Hinduism was that of acceptance towards other faiths, contrary to what is being practised by members of the ruling party, Tharoor asserted, as he spoke at the formal launch of his latest book 'Why I am a Hindu'. "The way in which the BJP projects Vivekananda is completely ill-founded, in fact is not based on even a casual reading of anything Vivekananda said... "I have read the original text and I can tell you what he believes and what he stands for. When these people highlight sentences like 'arise, awake and stand up', and say things like 'be proud to be a Hindu', what was it that he (Vivekananda) wanted us to take pride in? He wanted us to take pride in precisely this: The acceptance of other faiths," Tharoor said. Quoting Vivekananda, Tharoor said some people in the name of Hinduism are citing him (Vivekananda) while "lighting the fires